Brain Injury

“Safety is our top priority.” Those are the words from the Airbnb website.

But consider this Airbnb experience, as reported by Zak Stone, about his family’s stay in Texas on November 8, 2015:

“The rope swing looked inviting….When my father decided to give it a try on Thanksgiving morning, the trunk it was tied to broke in half and fell on his head, immediately ending most of his brain activity.” Read the rest »

When someone suffers a traumatic brain injury in a San Diego car accident or slip-and-fall accident, it will seriously impact their entire family. Brain injury is often a catastrophic injury, which means that its effects are life-long. There are many symptoms of traumatic brain injuries, including changes in personality, aggressive behavior and issues with memory. These can make caring for someone with a head injury challenging. In fact, many family members who become caregivers experience feelings of distress, anxiety, anger, and depression. Read the rest »

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. When you look at the statistics, you begin to get a picture of how pervasive brain injuries are in the United States and the staggering costs, both financially and emotionally, that they inflict.

According to the Brain Injury Association (BIA), some 2.4 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States each year. Sadly, 475,000 children are the victims of TBI each year. Staggeringly, 5.3 million people are living with a life-long disability associated with TBI. Each year, some 52,000 individuals die and 275,000 will be hospitalized due to TBI.

The financial costs of TBI can be huge. BIA reports that the average hospital-based acute rehab to care for a TBI cost is about $8,000 per day. Once out of the hospital, a victim may be looking at residential care that can run the gamut from $850 to $2,500 per day. Day treatment therapy programs (without room and board) can run about $600 to $1,000 per day. Read the rest »

A new kind of safety latch designed to prevent football helmets from popping off could help reduce the risk of concussion and other serious brain and spinal injuries on the field, according to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times.

The Purpose of a New Safety Latch

The new safety latch, inspired by the devices used to keep light bulb sockets in place, combines a button with a narrow track. The button slides down the track to lock into place, and it is held in place by the helmet’s chinstrap as it sits securely on the player’s face. To release the latch and remove the helmet, the button must slide out of the track – which requires players to open the helmet properly instead of merely hitting the latch, preventing the helmet from coming loose or falling off entirely during active play. Read the rest »

According to statistics provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), around 1.7 million people suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) per year due to different reasons. Some common reasons behind these life changing brain injuries include:

The brain is a highly sensitive organ and even a minor injury can lead to a severely damaged brain or even death. Some people who suffer from major head or brain injuries are forced to endure several mental disabilities and physical disorders. Read the rest »

Ray Easterling, former Atlanta Falcons safety, committed suicide back in April 2012. The autopsy report was officially released last week and the findings show that Easterling was suffering with a degenerative brain disease before his death. The brain disease is common to athletes that have endured frequent blows to the head.

Easterling started to deal with dementia and depression about 10 years after he retired from football. Before his death, Easterling’s behavior was characterized by terrible mood swings, forgetfulness, distraction from work, and tardiness. He even chopped off a piece of his thumb while trying to chop trees down for firewood. Finally at age 62, Easterling died in his Virginia home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Read the rest »

Paramedics rushed to the scene to find Seau’s unconscious body, brought about by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Life-saving attempts were made, but the damage had been done. The 12-time Pro Bowl player was pronounced dead at his Oceanside home.

Photo from TMZ.com

Junior Seau’s death raises several questions about what was thought to be a picture-perfect life. What happened in his post-career life that caused him to spin out of control? The answer may be part of a bigger problem, one that has often been overlooked by the NFL. Read the rest »

A recent self reporting study demonstrates that former NFL players aged 50 and over suffer from dementia related diagnosis at a rate five times the national average. The study is so important that the NFL is now undertaking its’ own study of the long term affect of concussions and brain injuries on its’ players.

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